Midland Metro receives final funding to realise extension

Image courtesy of TfWM

Plans for the tram route extension between Birmingham’s city centre and Edgbaston have been confirmed thanks to final funding boost from the government.

Phil Hewitt, left, Paul Maynard MP, left, Laura Shoaf, Cllr Bob Sleigh, and Alejandro Moreno. Image courtesy of TfWM

A key metro extension linking Birmingham city centre with Edgbaston and the city’s growing Westside area has been given the go-ahead thanks to a multi-million pound funding pledge from the Department for Transport.

The two-kilometre extension will consist of five stops between Grand Central, outside Birmingham New Street station, and Edgbaston. Ten trams will serve the line every hour during peak periods with the aim to provide greater accessibility to the western part of the city. The extension plans to open in March 2021.

Extension funds

The £59.8 million boost from the Department for Transport completes the total £149 million funding for the project, with another £84 million having already been raised locally through the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), Birmingham City Council, Greater Birmingham & Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership and others.

On a visit to see the route of the new extension yesterday, Transport Minister Paul Maynard also met with Councillor Bob Sleigh OBE, Deputy West Midlands Mayor and Laura Shoaf, Managing Director of Transport for the West Midlands (TfWM), part of the WMCA.

Mr Maynard commented on the current success of the metro: “Passenger journeys are up nearly a third this year compared to last year. This new extension will be a further boost to Birmingham businesses and make travelling to work easier for commuters.

Greater good

Commenting on the wider impact of this extension project, Councillor Sleigh said, “It is not just these areas that will benefit, though, as the Metro is key to the WMCA’s vision for strategic growth and regeneration across the West Midlands, bringing huge benefits to everyone who lives and works here. The extension will see new stops at the Town Hall, Centenary Square, Brindley Place, and at two further stations either side of the Five Ways roundabout in Edgbaston. The new route will also offer a direct metro link to Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, the International Convention Centre and Symphony Hall.”

These important changes will be imminent for the area, as Cllr stated: “Preliminary groundworks started in the summer but now final funding for the scheme has been secured from central government, major project works could be set to get underway within weeks.”